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There was once a time when
fusion simply meant the combining of two or more things into
one. Today, “fusion cooking,” the marrying of ingredients
and techniques from different culinary cultures, is featured
in many restaurants as if it were a new phenomenon. But, historically
speaking, fusion cooking has been going on since Western traders
first traveled the Silk Route to China and colonialism met local
culture across the East, Africa and in the Americas.
In America’s colonial
era, British settlers used Indian corn when traditional ingredients
were scarce to make the English dishes they were accustomed to,
a strategy Pilgrims no doubt thought of as “making do,”
not an innovative culinary technique. Louisiana’s Creole
cuisine, a blend of French and Spanish cooking and local ingredients
– often those brought from Africa via the Caribbean –
might arguably be considered the first fusion cooking in America
to establish an independent and sophisticated culinary invention.
Immigrants from around the
globe have contributed new prepared foods, leading to cross-fertilization
of ideas on how to combine ingredients and adapt new techniques
in cooking, baking and roasting. And an upsurge in international
travel after World War II introduced American tourists to new
cuisines.
Although fusion cooking as
a marketing concept made a big media splash in the 1970s when
French chefs began using Asian ingredients, the globalization
of food products has allowed American cooks to use new foods
in preparing familiar dishes. Today, fusion cooking is so common
we do it at home.
Americans who have never traveled
to Japan might use imported panko, Japanese breadcrumbs, to achieve
a crispier texture for breaded meats in Western dishes. A European-style
sauce may include chipotle chile to add a smoky nuance. Some
ingredients, such as soy sauce, have become so popularized they
are now as common and accepted as ketchup, which we think of
as “pure American” but in fact started out as a Malay
fish sauce.
This shrimp sauté, using
chipotle chile, Asian pear, and annatto, a frequent flavoring
in Hispanic dishes, is a fusion dish you can easily make in the
kitchen. (Paprika can replace the annatto, if desired.)
Shrimp with Asian Pear, Red
Peppers and Peas -
Makes 4 servings.
- 2 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 tsp. annatto seeds or 1
tsp. ground*
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and
diced
- 1 medium Asian pear, cored
and diced
- 3/4 lb. medium or small shrimp,
shelled
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chile,
or 1/2 canned
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 cup pigeon or cow peas,
canned or frozen
In a small saucepan, heat the
oil and annatto over medium heat until the oil is deep orange,
4-5 minutes. Finely strain the oil into a small bowl. Discard
the annatto seeds.
Heat 1 Tbsp. of the annatto-flavored
canola oil, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté
the onion until translucent, 4 minutes. Add the pepper and Asian
pear. Sauté 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring,
until they are red, about 3 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste,
chipotle, the paprika, if using, salt, orange juice and peas.
Cook until shrimp are opaque in the center, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve,
accompanied by brown rice.
*If you cannot find annatto,
substitute 1 tsp. ground paprika. |
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